AP Physics Review Kinematics Graphs

Front

What is Kinematics?

Back

Kinematics is the branch of physics that describes the motion of objects without considering the forces that cause the motion.

Front

What does a position-time graph represent?

Back

A position-time graph shows how the position of an object changes over time.

Front

What does a slope on a position-time graph indicate?

Back

The slope of a position-time graph indicates the velocity of the object.

Front

What does a horizontal line on a position-time graph indicate?

Back

A horizontal line indicates that the object is stationary.

Front

What does a straight line with a positive slope indicate?

Back

A straight line with a positive slope indicates that the object is moving away from the starting position at a constant velocity.

Front

What does a straight line with a negative slope indicate?

Back

A straight line with a negative slope indicates that the object is moving towards the starting position at a constant velocity.

Front

What does a curved line on a position-time graph indicate?

Back

A curved line indicates that the object is accelerating.

Front

How do you calculate acceleration from a velocity-time graph?

Back

Acceleration is calculated as the change in velocity divided by the time over which the change occurs (a = Δv/Δt).

Front

What does a flat line on a velocity-time graph indicate?

Back

A flat line on a velocity-time graph indicates that the object is moving at a constant velocity.

Front

What does the area under a velocity-time graph represent?

Back

The area under a velocity-time graph represents the displacement of the object.